


Catharsis

by aceaaronminyard (necklace)



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Asexual Character, Catharsis, Crushes, Emotional Infidelity, F/M, I wrote this for a friend, Kinda, M/M, Not Beta Read, Sexuality Crisis, based on those cool word posts, resolved emotional tension, so here u go u meme loving fuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-02-25
Packaged: 2018-09-26 19:29:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9918872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/necklace/pseuds/aceaaronminyard
Summary: catharsis: (n) a release of emotional tension.-shameless matt/aaron, because the world needs more of them.





	

**Author's Note:**

> in all honesty, blame ayah for this. i love these two boys, let them be happy :(

On some level, Aaron Minyard and Matt Boyd understand each other.

 

In theory, they have a scary amount of things in common that should, also in theory, make them better friends.

 

They're past drug addicts with a big, not-so-shitty, broken, chosen family who they'd die for (no matter how many times Aaron denies it). 

 

They both have girlfriends, too. 

 

Does this stop them? Of course it does. But Aaron sees the way Matt looks at him, sees the lingering glances at practice and sees the soft looks every morning and night when they're in their shared dorm room. 

 

Aaron doesn't quite know what to make of these looks. Dan stays in the room right next to them with the girls and Matt sits too close to him on the couch when he can, Aaron's five foot nothing being almost swallowed by Matt's six-foot-four. 

 

The tension between them squeezes around his lungs and makes it hard to breathe. He blames it on everything except the woes of a crush. 

 

* * *

 

Aaron never has and never will enjoy sex like Matt does, will never understand it as some sort of important addition to emotional connections. Katelyn works with it, but Matt looks at him like he's broken when he admits it out loud to him. The expression maybe lasts for a second and a half, but it's enough to be burned into Aaron's memory and he knows he'll never forget it.

 

It's why, in his heart of hearts, he classifies Matt as unattainable. 

 

On days when Aaron stays a little later at the library and goes back to Fox Tower hoping to get some sleep, Matt leaves a sock on the door in warning and Aaron does the rest of his homework with Neil and Nicky in their dorm. He pretends he's alright. 

 

He looks at Andrew and doesn't understand how he can still enjoy sex, how it doesn't feel like grime under his nails and how _dirty_ it is when he's done. 

 

So Matt stays unattainable, and Aaron moves on with his life. He's got a girlfriend, after all, and he loves her more than he can bear. 

 

* * *

 

Aaron isn't an English major, but he knows damn well that him and Matt are stuck in some sort of emotional limbo. A shitty, amateur-level dance if you will.

 

It goes something like this: Aaron goes to grab a mug, but he can't reach so Matt blushes as he pulls one down for him. Matt wants to go get drunk with Dan and Allison but doesn't want to drive, so Aaron awkwardly suggests he can drop him and the girls off and pick them up later. Both Aaron and Matt refuse to make eye contact until days after each event, in fear of getting even more flustered than usual.

 

It's disgusting, the way they tiptoe around each other. Personally, Aaron didn't even know he could be into Matt like this. He's not gay like Nicky and Andrew, he still likes girls and looking at Katelyn and feeling her hair under his fingers on lazy mornings before class, but he's not straight. He's asexual and possibly another label and when this realization comes, he feels more light and happy than he's ever felt in his entire life. 

 

(He'll need to ask Neil some questions later.) 

 

* * *

 

In theory, Aaron knows that Matt doesn't like Andrew. It's understandable, it's pretty damn relatable, and it makes sense after what his twin did to him. 

 

In theory, it's one of the reasons he avoids Matt. He knows he'll never be Andrew, he'll never have the same issues as his twin, but. But he still hates that if Matt doesn't expect him, he'll flinch when he sees Aaron. 

 

It feeds their tension. Aaron feels like he's drowning in soft cotton and bad-smelling hair gel and the weight of this stupid crush. 

 

* * *

 

Something finally clears on a Sunday morning, when the night sky is fading into a deep blue and the rest of the world is starting to wake up. Aaron himself isn't sure what time it is but he knows it's early; he's been playing this damn Bethesda game for god knows how many hours now and he can't quit yet. 

 

Since Kevin's been sick for the past day and a half, practice has been canceled (much to the rest of the teams excitement) and Aaron can get away with pulling a gaming-related all-nighter for the first time in months. 

 

Distantly, he recognizes Matt's 5AM alarm when it goes off in their shared room, hearing his roommate get up with a groan and stumble around, searching for what Aaron assumes is his towel. 

 

When Matt finally drags his feet into the living area, the shock on his face is slightly muted with exhaustion. 

 

"Did you stay up all night?" He asks, incredulous. It might be the fact that Aaron's been up for almost 24 hours to explain his grumpiness. 

 

"None of your business," he grumbles, taking his eyes away from his game for a half a second to recognize that Matt is just wearing a pair of loose basketball shorts. Aaron hasn't used his voice since he said goodnight to Matt six hours ago; it sounds rough and empty even to his own ears. 

 

"Right. I'm making coffee," Matt sighs, already moving towards the kitchen. Aaron can hear him tinkering around with the faucet, so Aaron pauses his game and heads in after him. He's got a blanket wrapped over his bare shoulders, too-big sweatpants dragging under his feet before he maneuvers his way to sit on the counter next to the coffee pot. 

 

In the barely-there light of the morning, nothing else exists outside of two boys in the kitchen of their college dorm. The universe gives them privacy, even if it's just for a few minutes; the air is soft and light and it lets Aaron rest his head against the cabinets, closing his eyes to the sound of Matt finding two clean coffee mugs and adding sugar to both of them. 

 

Neither of them break the silence, neither of them talk about the stupid crush they both have, neither of them comment when Aaron lets his blanket slide from his shoulders so he can sit in their warm dorm shirtless. 

 

It's as much as a catharsis as Aaron has ever felt before, even when Matt nudges his thigh and hands him a cup of boiling hot coffee, made perfectly to Aaron's standards. 

 

In theory, they have a lot of things in common. They're former drug addicts who chose a big, broken, not-so-shitty family who they'd die for. 

 

They both have girlfriends, who they love more than they love themselves. 

 

They both know that breaking the ties of their friendship to pursue something more will give the rest of the Foxes enough tension to choke on and ruin the dynamic of the team.

 

At five fifteen on a Sunday morning, Aaron smiles his brothers smile and Matt bares his teeth right back at him. 

 

They'll be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm over at castrumwritings and aceaaroniscanon on tumblr
> 
> comments are accepted with great gusto and i'd sell my soul for them :')


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